Sofia Benavidez
(CNN) Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour paid $100,000 to keep all 98 Washington D.C. subway stations open for another hour after Sunday’s FedExField concert was postponed due to heavy rain and lightning, according to a transport press release. management.
“Due to inclement weather that could delay the start of today’s FedExField Renaissance World Tour, the Metro will extend the last train for another hour after the previously announced extended closure,” the Washington Public Transportation Authority said in a statement.
“The additional hour will be funded by the tour to cover $100,000 costs to operate more trains, keep 98 stations open for customers to exit, and other operating expenses.”
Madonna and Beyoncé pose with their daughters at a Renaissance tour concert.
For its part, the stadium issued a shelter notice citing lightning strikes in the area before giving fans the go-ahead and allowing the show to continue. The delay left the participants languishing in hot and humid conditions, waiting for news of what was going on.
“Due to lightning strikes in the area, we are currently in self-isolation. Fans outside the stadium and in the parking lots are asked to return to their cars,” the stadium said in a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, at 6:40 pm Miami time.
All fans in the stadium are asked to take shelter under the covered lobbies and ramps until further notice.
The shelter-in-place order was suspended after a nearly two-hour wait during which several people were treated for heatstroke and one person was hospitalized, CNN affiliate WJLA said.
The situation in the stadium was confusing and chaotic, said CNN’s Abby Phillip, who was among those who filled the hall.
“It was very embarrassing… I mean, it was raining really hard for a while and there was lightning so they didn’t want to let anyone in and obviously the concert wasn’t going to start but it was really chaotic and I think it was sort of an experience that I and many other people have had… chaos, crowds, rain and heat,” Philippe said.
“It was one of those moments where it’s a great concert, but the experience was a little scary,” he added.
“No one really seemed to know what the plan was,” he said.
Rain affected the area from 7 pm to 8 pm on Sunday, with the heaviest showers falling from 9:30 pm to 10:30 pm, CNN meteorologist Rob Shackelford said.
More than 120 million people in the eastern United States could experience severe thunderstorms this Monday as heatwaves in the south continue their record streak.
The-CNN-Wire
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